Ram Page

Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: Features

Information and picture courtesy of Alicia Powell

Information and pictures courtesy of Doug Johnson

Information and pictures courtesy of Doug Johnson

Information and picture courtesy of Lee Floyd

Chi Alpha


Students of Chi Alpha heads to Meridian, Texas this spring break to help a family in need by participating in Chi Alpha's "Extreme Home Makeover". A pastor in Meridian was diagnosed with terminal cancer a couple of months ago. His house has been in serious need of some repairs, so during Spring break, he will be going on what he believes is a vacation, only to return to a refurbished home.

Through this mission trip, these students will help provide a good home for his wife once he is gone, relieving some of both of their stress. The students will leave Wednesday, March 17 and spend 5 days working on everything from landscaping to painting, to putting up siding on the house. This will be Chi Alpha's second year doing a home makeover. Last year was very rewarding and successful, as students rebuilt the home of a newly widowed woman.



Rams for Christ

Thursday evening, March 11, a group of nine Rams for Christ left for Ecuador. They will join with students from West Texas A&M University who are members of the Buff's for Christ campus ministry in Canyon, Texas. The group of about 25 people will spend two days travelling to a remote lodge in Northwest Ecuador that is only accessible via a four-hour canoe ride up the Cayapa River. Inhabitants along the river are decendents from groups of Africans who escaped the slave trade in the Caribbean and settled in the many waterways.

The team will be converting the Kumanii Lodge, which was formerly an environmental study center in the Ecuador interior, into an outreach center for various missions, such as a medical mission scheduled as soon as this May. Rams for Christ expect five total days of travel, an abundance of mosquitoes, three days of hard work, and they hope to lay the groundwork that will open doors to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. They return Friday night, March 19, and they do not expect to re-enter their local setting unaffected by the experience.




Baptist Student Ministries


ASU Rams have participated in Beach Reach for more than 15 years.

This spring break, 20 ASU students will join over 500 other students from around the country to join in the effort on March 13 through 19 at South Padre Island, TX.

The 20 Rams have spent Monday nights over the last five weeks in training for the trip.

The training has involved preparing students to share their stories and the impact their faith has made in their lives, how to operate the various ministries like designated driver rides, midnight pancake breakfast, morning breakfast and beach efforts like the clean up and passing out hotline cards for the free rides.

The city of South Padre works with Beach Reach each year to allow the designated driver rides, beach clean-up and free meals.

Last year Beach Reach served 16,305 individuals pancakes and gave 10,858 individuals designated driver rides.

The effort is all about serving fellow students (free food), helping them stay safe (free rides), and talking with willing students about their faith.



History

In 1980 Buddy Young, who was a seminary student and part-time Baptist Student Ministry Director in Dallas, took a small group of students to South Padre Island during Spring Break.

The group camped in tents on the island and shared the gospel with spring breakers as God provided opportunities.

Several years later they began to notice that transportation was a problem, especially during the week of spring break.

The group realized that they could minister to spring breakers by providing free rides.

Then the van ministry came. As they picked up people, they would share the gospel with the students they came in contact with. Soon free breakfast, free e-mail check, free water, free sunscreen, and beach clean-up were added to the list of ministries.

In 1998 the South Padre Beach Reach model expanded to Panama City Beach, Florida and other Spring Break sites, where they continue to use the "Acts of Kindness" approach to Spring Break Evangelism.

Buddy is currently the Director of the West Texas A&M University BSM where he continues to mobilize students for missions.

South Padre Beach Reach has now expanded to include 400 students from around the country, who give up their spring break to serve God in a variety of ways on South Padre Island.

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